A Study Of
by BTES
Summary: Small collection of oneshots. Prompts are welcomed. Cover done by KayaThatOnePapaya on Deviantart. Link to her is on my profile home page.
1. Chapter 1

Cards

Ratchet glared at the card in his hand with a scrutinizing eye. He had never seemed to be less amazed. This tiny hollow-card that he occasionally shook had an image on it that he hopped he could change with enough shakes.

The image was himself but weird. It was almost blocky and awkward in its distortion. It also had something scribbled on the back that was unlike his own language. Try as he might, it didn't change, the picture nor the scribbles.

"Hey Clank?" He started. He didn't chance looking away from the card if it did somehow change.

Clank looked up from the old paper-back book to his friend. He watched the lombax as he lifted the hollow-card up slightly. "Yes Ratchet?"

"Do you think this is me?"

Clank scanned the card over before returning his attention back to his book.

"No it is not, Ratchet."

"Oh… then who is it?"

The warbot turned a page of his book before he answered, "A separate you from a different time and dimension."

"Okay, I guess, what?"

* * *

Galactic Rangers.

Ratchet huffed and puffed as his arms wobbled under his weight. It was a gazillion degrees outside. A tin can that weighed what felt like one thousand pounds sat on his back while he counted.

"One-hundred-fiftyseven, one-hundred-fiftyeight…"

Plus' there was the Galactic Ranger soldier that was screeching into his ear as loudly as he could. Words like, maggot, waste of space, and wise-ass caused a liberal of oil to spring and land on his fir. It would take him hours to finally get it all off.

"One hundred seventy two, one hundred seventy three."

"Get your ass into gear, fluffy! What are you going to do if there is a galactic emergency? Absolutely nothing in this sorry state!"

"One hundred ninety nine, two hundred."

His arms gave that one last strain before giving out completely. He hit the concrete with a thump.

He was absolutely crazy joining the Galactic Rangers.

"Good job, Ratchet! That was almost twenty more than last week."

But, he would never regret it.

* * *

Meatloaf

Quark looked at the table in pure amazement. His eyes hopped from one to the other and back again as a smile ate up his face.

He didn't know that this was a real thing. Only the most wonderful of people would make such a glorious thing. He would have to send that person a thank you card personally!

After all, it wasn't everyday that one got to bask in the light of two separate types of Meatloaf!

* * *

Look-a-like

Alister watched over the parameter as the kit slept. Every so often, he would spare a glance at his young charge to catch a twitch of the tail or a niche of the ear. He could see the dreams slowly consume the kit.

Ratchet was just like his father, not only in looks, but also in personally. He was just as head strong and stubborn if not even more so. The simple way he held his shoulders up in all consuming confidence was something Alister had seen over a-thousand times.

The boy, however, was also just like his mother. He was compassionate and understanding of others. He didn't shoot first and ask question later, no he assessed the situation around him in nanoseconds and then acted.

All of that only stealed Alister's conviction to save there kind, his family. His mother and father deserved to see the child they made with love and happiness.

Alister was going to save the lombax race, and nothing would stand in his way.

* * *

Hello

I've been writing these one shots but I haven't had the time to post any of them lately. So, I thought that it would be a good idea to post them together. I hope you all enjoy.

Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

Time bomb

Clank watched with a tapping foot, his fists on his hip.

"What did you do, Ratchet?"

Ratchet smiled widely, hiding something behind his back. Every so often, he would fidget and move in front of a suspicious crack in the wall. Clank just knew that he did something. Whether bad or not was the question.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Just standing here, doing nothing."

"Mmmhmm, then what is that behind your back?"

Ratchet shifted again. He even took a few steps back so that he could further hide whatever it was he done or, Clank had guessed, tried to do.

As he took the step back, he stepped on something he probably shouldn't have. A yelp of pain soon followed and everything tumbled.

Right in front of him were two Ratchets. One was wearing a modified time bomb carrier turned glove.

"Oh dear!"

Ratchet sent Clank yet another sturling smile. "Would you believe me if I said that I cloned myself?"

Clank sighed and linked to Aphelion. "I believe that we should see Sigmond."

* * *

Nerds dream

Ratchet leaned on the palm of his hand, his eyes drooping ever so slowly, on the humid, rainy morning.

It was early, too early to be having a meeting of the Galactic Rangers and an abundance of amoeboids in link with petty crimes. The worst part was that authorities from about ten separate planets all came with slideshows.

Yes, slideshows, hour long slideshows.

Beside him on his right was Clank and on his left was Elaris. Both were big eyes and bushy tailed with pads in hand to write notes on each slideshow for later use. It highly reminded him of school.

Ratchet glanced on over to the other side of the table to see that he wasn't the only one not enjoying this early, warm, rainy, lazy morning. All three of Cora, Brax, and Quark were also trying their hardest not to fall victim to the evil thing called sleep.

Sliding his eyes back to the projector screen, Ratchet caught a glimpse of a circle graph just before it turned into a line graph. The sheriff of planet Eudora swatted at the screen with a long pointer and continued talking in the same old monotone voice that he had been for half an hour.

"As you see here, the black line represents petty crimes about four months ago whereas the green," he slapped the lime green line hard, making a tinging noise. "Represents the petty crimes where an amoeboid was spotted as the culprit. So…"

Elaris cleared her throat and raised her hand a slight bit. "Yes, we understand the increased crime caused by them but we would like to know where they have all been spotted and the surrounding areas. It will help us in making a strategy to dispose of them in a quick and orderly fashion."

The sheriff opened his mouth as if to protest but closed it. He skipped the slide with the line graph and came upon a bar graph. He skipped it and the one after it. Then, he skipped over the next four, his face getting more and more red as each slide passed. He stopped on a small picture with an amoeboid next to a terrified looking man and started to talk again.

Ratchet couldn't stop it. It was inevitable as his eyes clamped closed and his muscles completely relaxed. With one final yawn, he fell asleep.

Five seconds later, someone clearing their throat woke him back up. Ratchet opened his eyes only to see something that could scare him for life.

Quark was dressed in his usual attire but with a sweater vest over his chest and a pair of thick glasses perched on his nose. In his hand was a engorged file with a multitude of graphs of all types. One one his fingers was waving dangerously close to Ratchet's nose as he set out a warning.

"You best listen to what's being said, Ratchet." His voice had an almost nasally quality to it, like Big Al. "Or you won't know the graphs by heart!"

Ratchet gasped and sat up so fast, he felt like he had whiplash. He heard Clank beside him asking about his wellbeing but his eyes sought only one thing.

Quark was setting there with his blue eyes wide open. His lip hung loose and drool dribbled down his chin showing that despite looking awake, he was fast asleep. There was also a lack of any glasses and vest.

With a sigh, Ratchet finally turned to Clank so that he could calm his friend down. When asked why he acted so weird, his only reply was,

"I had a nerd dream."

* * *

Games

Ratchet bumped Brax' shoulder with his own trying to get a little more arm room. When he was bumped right back, he was sent toppling off the tiny loveseat.

The lombax rolled and settled in a crouch while still staring mindlessly at the H.V screen before him. Rapid fire ensued and he let out a small laugh in triumph.

Cora waltzed into the room with a small card in her hand. She had been asked to get something out of Elaris's lab for her and, since she had nothing else to do, decided to do just that. When she saw what the others of the Galactic Rangers were doing, she placed her hands on her hips and cleared her throat loudly.

The newest game in the series, Call to Trouble, was paused and the boys looked back, one on the floor and one on the small antique loveseat with a foot perched up on the arm rest. Clank was setting in a lone swivel chair, blissfully unaware while he charged.

"What are you two doing?"

Nether answered. It looked pretty obvious what they were doing after all. Cora's hands went from her hips to crossing over her chest as she pursed her lips. Then she sighed.

"I play winner of this match."

Five hours later, Ratchet whooped in joy. An assortment of groans followed soon after.

Everyone was gathered around Elaris's lab to watch and maybe get a chance to play the top champion. Even the lunch lady was there.

The lab door suddenly slammed open. In its path was a vary irked looking Elaris. Her anger seemed to increase tens fold when she saw what everybody was doing. She snapped her palm out and sent a glare at Big All, who had wandered in to check up on Clanks upgrades. The engineer cowered under her gaze and gave over the controller.

A new match started, Ratchet on left and Elaris on right. Ratchet immediately went for his favorite kill spot. On the way though, his character went down without even two minute on the timer.

Everyone watched her as she put the controller down then as she picked up a nice cup of coffee, the very thing she asked Cora to get her so long ago.

"I had a long night last night and will have one tonight as well. So I suggest you all get back to work," Elaris said just before leaving a very quiet and a vary stunned room behind.

* * *

Winner

Alister glared at the huge trophy in his friend arms. Every so often, he would send his glare to his friend instead.

"I still can't believe you did it, Kaden."

Kaden smirked and bobbed his head up and down. "But I did!"

Alister glared again, at his friends gloating face. He then slid his eyes back to the trophy. He read it outloud in hope that it would make the moment a little less crazy.

"First Lombax Winner of the Agorian Battleplex. May you be remembered honorably!"

It didn't.

* * *

Hello

So, here's another slew of oneshots. I hope you all enjoy them.


	3. Chapter 3

Sick:

"Ratchet, could you.. eeee, berrrr, deeeee, help me with this basket? It is quite heavy."

Ratchet looked up at Clank as soon as he begin to talk. When the warbot started to, well, he didn't know what to call it except for interference; he kept his eye on him refusing to look away for more than a few moments.

It was the fourth time it happened and it worried him.

Just as he was about to say something to Clank, the doorbell rang. Without a word, Ratchet got up and answered it.

"Hey, Ratchet, what seems to be the problem?" Ratchet could have kissed the yellow furball for getting here so quick. After all, it was normally a three hour commute from Metropolis to Veldin and Big Al made it in one!

Ratchet stepped back for the 'robot guy' and pointed at Clank. Clank excitedly placed the basket in his hands down and teetered on over.

"Al, what a suprise! How eeeeee are you?"

Big Al simply smiled back and stepped on into the small house. He patted the kitchen table once reached. "I'm here to give you a checkup."

Clank placed his one of his three digits on his metallic chin in confusion. "But, I thought that I had a checkup two weeks ago. Why have another one so soon?"

"No reason." He watched Clank hop up and went to work checking out what was wrong. "So, have you seen the new…"

Ratchet immediately tuned the two out. He knew that he wouldn't be able to understand a word of the theorems and thesis' that would come out of their mouths.

Instead, he thought about what was wrong with Clank. It could be anything under the sun. He cursed himself for not studying more of the decommissioned robots on Veldin. It could be.."

"Ah-ha!"

Ratchet jumped in surprise and tried glancing over Big Al's shoulder. "What is it?" Finally, Ratchet's eyes settle on Al's hand which was lodged in Clanks mouth.

Al pulled his hand back and shows an inky black substance sploshed over his fuzzed fingers otherwise known as oil. He gave his signature geeky laugh. "Simple really. You see, Clanks suffering from a phenomena that only a set few robots, newer ones mostly, can suffer from. Its a…"

Ratchet know where this was going. He cleared his throat out before Al could go further. " In Layman speech, please."

Al made a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat but complied anyhow.

"Clank had a virus."

"A virus?"

"A virus!"

Scratching the back of his neck, Ratchet felt confusion erupted inside. "You don't seem to worried about it though," he stated.

Al snorted. "Clank's antiviral systems have already handled it. What we see now is the aftermath."

"Aftermath?!" Ratchet asked in a dumbfounded voice. "Clank, did you know you had a virus?"

Clank simply looked up at Ratchet and shrugged his metallic shoulders. "Of course."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought that you already knew."

* * *

Nefarious:

Dr. Nefarious laughed maniacally watching Ratchet and Clank try to escape yet another one of his well ployed traps. He will win this time!

"You know, Clank." He heard Ratchet grumble. "Nafarious's laugh is one of the most annoying laughs I have ever heard. Why can't he just, I don't know, chuckle?"

His laughing stopped and turned into a menacing snarl.

"I do not know. It is something that all evil beings do, though. Maybe it is because they find something incredibly funny."

"Don't know, but they could try not to make my ears bleed."

The trap then flung the duo out of his land base, hopefully, Nefarious thought, into orbit where they get burned into tiny crisps!

"Don't worry sir, you don't make my ears bleed."

The Doctor smiled to himself. Of course he didn't. Those two were just trying to irritate him. Next time he saw Ratchet and Clank, he would...

"Most of the time."

"Lawrence!"

"Oh, Lance!"

"Oh Janice!"

"Oh my, did I do that?"

* * *

Cat and Mouse:

The sway of the tail, the twitch of the ears, and the shift of the feet. It's all he could concentrate on at the moment. The room was so dark that he couldn't see within an inch of his face. He still smiled

"Do you hear me?"

The man close by shuddered, his huge frame shaking much like a child who was afraid of the dark would.

"I know that you cant see me."

He stalked closer and brushed his tail against the man's shoe. Hearing the man gasp caused him to chuckle.

"But I can see you."

Finally he lunged and landed on the man's back. He quickly lept back, avoiding the high-pitched screech escape his victim. Arms flared out in all direction as he ran in the separate direction only to slam into a nearby wall.

The room's light flipped on.

On the floor, Quark was curled into a ball with his thumb in his mouth and Ratchet was holding his stomach tightly, laughing his guts out.

Quark froze. He opened his shut tight eyes and blinked. Quick as a flash of lightning, he was on his feet with a withering smile.

"It was nooo problem for me, Ratchet, to use my amazing acting skills to help you with your exercise!"

This only caused Ratchet to laugh harder. He fell forward on his hands and knees. His began to pound the floor with his fist, wheezing, when he spotted Quark shuffle sideways towards the door.

Once Ratchet deflated from his laughter and Quark was no longer in the room, Ratchet turned to a hidden camera. "Clank, we have to find Tal? I wanna try that with her!"

One week later, Ratchet sat on a hospital bed with a green cast on his left arm. Talwyn sat on a chare close by with Clank beside her. Her arms were crossed and every few seconds she would shoot Ratchet and Clank a glare.

"You know," she grumbled loud enough for them to hear her. "This is what you get when you sneak up on me in the dark."

* * *

Play:

"Standing alone in the middle of the desert, I felt as if

the area became quiet, too quiet."

The boy smiled widely and he balled up his hands, only his thumb and pointer out. He aimed them wildly at nothing in particular while turning around on the axes of his heal.

"Suddenly, I was surrounded. The enemy closed me in on all sides. I couldn't see a way out. It was then that I knew what to do!"

Next, the boy jumped and began to make shooting sounds. He feigned a serious look as he did this. The look however, was broken by the humongous smile.

"Your time is u…"

"Ratchet, get your tail back in here!"

Ratchet gasped and fell on his face. With a grone he pushed himself up and dusted his Quark t-shirt off. He then spotted a small white spot on the rocky floor. He picked it up and squealed. He proceeded to raise it far above his head with a grin.

"Grim, Grim! I lost my toof! I lost my toof!

* * *

Hello!

Here are some more small oneshots. I really hope that you all enjoy them and I would like to thank all of you who have commented. So, thank you!

Byea


	4. Chapter 4

Map:

"I can't tell where the heck we are!"

It has been a few hours that the duo found themselves lost in the vast forest on an unnamed planet. The planet had recently been found just outside of the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet and Clank were contacted about a month after to help a small group of researchers build a camp to study the new wildlife and fauna.

Or, at least, that was the plan.

"I thought that they had a holomap ready!"

Clank sighed and unattached himself from Ratchets back. The moment his feet made contact with the damp dirt, he looked up towards the satellite and interfaced with it. In the background he could hear Ratchet grumble about their situation.

"There is a map for this area. However, the map is unfinished. This particular place is not yet added to the map."

Ratchet grimaced and, as if it could change anything, looked back at his nav-unit. It beeped pathetically at him. "That's just grate. We're lost."

"We are not lost, Ratchet. We simply need to get to a spot that is on the map so that we can get back to the camp. It can not be that hard to do so."

"Not that hard? Clank, buddy, it is never 'not hard' for us."

This caused Clank to chuckle. "Yes, I suppose that is true. What we need to do is retrace our steps."

The lombax groned but agreed with his diminutive friend. "Yeah, yeah, I know pal. Let's get going."

For the next few hours the duo stretched through the forest. The terrain went from calm flat ground to rocky and uneven footholds. Ratchet complained silently about everything. The map, the forest, the heat, the camp, and even the scientists. It sounded like buzzing.

Clank, who had eventually claimed back onto Ratchets back, groaned. "Ratchet, is it necessary for you to complain?"

"No," Ratchet answered. "But it makes me feel better."

"You do not usually complain, though."

A full on growl escaped Ratchet as he looked up a particularly steep hill. "No, but I normally have something to hit too. Did we go down this hill?"

"No, we did not. I thought that you wished for some peace and quiet."

"Yeah, but right now, this peace and quiet is killing me."

The two made it to the top of the hill and saw the glorious sight of the camp. The scientists were still there; no one seemed to realise that they were gone.

Ratchet walked into the camp and soon found his way to his and Clank's tent. He fell onto his sleeping bag and grounded in appreciation.

"I'm so tired."

"Ratchet."

"Yeah Clank?"

"The holo-map now shows the area that we got lost."

For a few moments the tent was quite.

"Son of a Quark!"

* * *

Sing:

"Im walking on sunshine! Wooooh!"

It was that time of day yet again. The time Ratchet finally found his way out of the garage and into a nice steaming shower to wash all of the gunk and soot off of his fur.

Today, it seemed to be more so, however, with the added additions of Cronk, Zephyr, and Talwyn.

From what he could understand over their call, the guy Tal usually went to to keep up the aging worbots maintenance was in the hospital with a busted gallbladder. She made sure the man was alright but understood that he was unable to work for a time.

Unfortunately, this happened around the same time that Cronk's head once again popped off.

Now, normally, this would be much of a problem because Talwyn had rudimentary knowledge about how to fix him. The problem was that some of the internal parts of his neck had also popped off, something that hadn't happened before, making Talwyn worry to the point of calling Ratchet for help.

Racking his fingers in his fur with his heavy shampoo, he scrubbed at the parts of his fur that was dyed by oil.

"I'm walking on sunshine, and man it feels good!"

Ratchet agreed without hesitation. It was an honor to work with Cronk and listen to Zephyr blab on the side. It was even better to hear Tal in the background while she gripped a Cronk to stop moving.

The fix itself was somewhat stressful. In order to put certain parts in place, you had to have a very steady hand. One that was far steadier than his own. In other words, Clanks. The space was squished between the two of them and the stress level skyrocketed.

Ratchet was happy to finally have the hot water pelt his back and drench him, head to toe.

"Yeah, it feels good!"

Now, Ratchet was never one to like music. He more… tolerated it. It was Clank that like it. However, every once in a while, he found himself with some song stuck in the back of his head that just wouldn't go away.

So he would sing, off key mind you, in the shower. With each bad note, the song would wash away with the grime of the day.

Seeing all of the black sludge off him and in the water, Ratchet turned the shower faucet off and quickly got dried and dressed and exited the bathroom in a plume of steam. Refreshed.

He walked back into the livingroom to where his friends an guests resided and looked Cronk, who was laughing something, over with a worried glance.

"Hey, Cronk, hows the neck? Is it feeling secure?"

Cronk only answered with a short 'yep' before he chuckled some more. His elbow hit Zephyr in the side and his fellow warbot barked his own. Ratchet sent them a weird look but chose to ignore it for now. He would hear about it at some point later if they deemed it funny enough.

"Hey rookie, nice vocal cords ya' got there!"

* * *

Star:

The child looked up at the sky with wonder in his eyes. He made a tiny squeak before pointing upwards.

His father looked down and then up. There, in the sky above them was a brilliant star. He smiled and hunkered down in the boys line of sight. His wife chuckled softly.

"You like that star son?" The child made incoherent babbling sounds as his answer. "Well, that bright blue star is named after me."

"No, its not. Don't lie to him, Kaden."

Kaden sent a glare at his friend over his shoulder. He then looked back to his son with a smile. "Don't listen to your uncle Al, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Now, that star is named Kadomen. It was named after me when I helped send the cragmites to another dimension."

"No, it wasn't. That star was named over three hundred year ago after a legend from the Fongoids. You have nothing to do with it."

Kaden signed overdramatically and gave Alister a weathered look. "Spoil sport."

Many years later

Ratchet looked up into the night sky of Fastoon. The stars were bright, twinkling happily in the vacuum of space.

"Hey, Clank."

Clank stopped a few steps away from Ratchet and dropped a pieces of rubble. "Yes?"

"Did you know that that star, the really bright blue one, is named after my father?"

* * *

Star, alternative:

Big Al looked over his empty shop. It was a slow day and he was joyful for the break.

Looking high and low, he searched for customers but saw none. He smiled at this and snuck behind his counter to find an old shoe box. He tossed the lid away and glanced inside.

There was a pair of sunglass shaped like a star. The lenses had pink and purple sparkles stuck to the side so thickly that, with barely a shake, some floated off and stuck instead to his fingers.

Beside the sunglasses, there was a wig of long flowing metallic brown colored hair. It weakly shined under the fluorescent lighting.

With a giggle, Big Al donned the two and placed his hands on his hips in an exaggerated manner. He then flipped the hair and forced a pouted look.

"Dont mess with me, I am a star!

* * *

Pit:

"Common, Al. You can do it."

Alister Azimuth was the son of the General and top recruit in the Lombax Military Academy. He could fight off men and women three times his size without so much as breaking a sweat. When he looked down at the large, dark, gaping hole in the shimmering caves, however, he found himself tarified.

His best friend was leaning against his favorite wrench. His eyes were alit with mirth and his mouth was curled in a tight smile, as though he were trying not to laugh.

"This is stupid, Kaden. Why are we even here. This area is restricted."

"Yeah," Kaden counter smoothly. "That makes it more fun."

"No that makes it illegal. Lets go before we get caught."

This caused a shift in his friend. The smile stayed in place but he was no longer on the wrench and insisted on his own two feet. He went to Alister and planted a hand heavily on his shoulder.

"Com'on Al, whens the next time we can do this, huh? This place is beautiful, the launch point is just right, pit of nothingness right there, perfect!"

Alister opened his mouth to disagree but was stopped before he could get a word in.

"Okay, how about this. I go first, then you."

With a sigh, Alister lamented. Kaden was like a dog with a bone, you just couldn't get him to drop it. He watched his friend get ready. He watched him get into position. Then, he watched him go, screaming his head off in pure elation.

Well, here goes nothing.

Not minutes later, he followed. It was like a nightmare and a dream all at once. Adrenaline rush in his veins as his eyes stayed wide open. He choked it up to morbid curiosity, wanting to see the darkness that now stranded him. The wind made from free falling whipped his fur about and took his breath away.

It felt like forever in a second.

All to soon, Alister hit the ground heavily. He took huge gulps of air into his lungs as he listened to the tel-tel sound of Kaden laughing.

"Let's do it again!"

* * *

Hello

This may seem early but I had more time to write lately. I'm pretty happy about that. So, I hope you all enjoyed these.


	5. Chapter 5

The Musical:

In a dark sinister looking lab, a metallic megalomaniac snickered as he worked. His three clawed hands moved efficiently and without mistake.

A dark grin appeared to become more prominent as he worked. He was close, so close to his goal. Just a few more adjustments was all that was needed.

A yell of victory that was followed by a manic cackle raised inside him as he held up the finished product. It was a simple groovitron but with some added wires and machinery.

"Sir, you laughing again. Are you enjoying yourself or are you just lonely?"

The doctor chose to ignore Lawrence's jab and instead shoved the groovitron underneath his nose.

"Do you see this, Lawrence!"

The robot butler didn't looked phased by the action. "Your ball, sir. Might I ask where the other is?"

"Yes, it… LAWRENCE!"

Meanwhile, on planet Kerwan…

Ratchet growled in aggravation. His eyes darted behind him, over him, and in front of him in search for a certain evil robot.

"Ratchet, will you calm down. We have not seen the doctor all day. It is unlikely that he will come now at night."

The sleep deprived lombax sighed and leaned back into his seat. He knew what Clank was telling him was probably true, but Nefarious had been on the attack for little over a week. At one point, Ratchet saw the robot on four separate occasions in one day.

You know that saying, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away'? Well, Ratchet would eat a whole orchard to keep his away.

"Why do you believe that he is attacking us so often? In all of our years of knowing each other, he has never done so much in a short period of time. In fact, it took him years to build up his plan the second time. The only reason we caught him was because you happened upon him by accident."

Ratchet nodded. "Yeah, I know. I've been thinking about it too. Nefarious doesn't do anything without a plan; he hasn't been going after us for no reason. I just wish I knew that reason!"

"As do I, Ratchet."

The duo sat in silence. It stretched on as they both waited for something to happen. For hours, nothing did. The high sun of noon became the low sun of dusk and still nothing.

So, the two of them guessed that they could go on to bed. They were so wrong.

Not five seconds after Ratchet laid his head down on his feather soft pillow, a deafening bang from outside caused him to tumble off his bed.

"I an going to kill him."

Once The duo collected themselves, they ran outside to a similar sight. It was a repeat of the last gazillion times the doctor appeared. Ratchet made an inappropriate slurs in anger whilst Clank set his sights on hopefully diverting another fight.

"Hello, Doctor. What is it that you want?"

Nefarious did not answer Clank. Instead, he held up his contraption for all to see.

"What the heck," Ratchet chuckled. "I thought it'd be something new. Not a groovitron."

Nefarious gave a chuckle himself. "Oh, Ratchet, you'll see. You'll see."

With those last words, the Doctor hurled his masterpiece at the ground. The thing sailed down until it grazed the streets and stopped itself. It then floated up two feet, four feet, and finally eight feet.

Then, nothing.

Ratchet and Clank shared a glance before both looked up to the object. It just hung there though. Ratchet sighed and signaled Clank to go get a blaster or something to shoot it down with. He the turned to his evil enemy.

 **"What does it do?"**

Immediately, Ratchet covered his mouth while his eyes bugged. Instead of his usual voice, Ratchet sang in a deep opera type baritone that he shouldn't even be aloud to have.

His wide eyed expression soon turned to one of pure malice when her heard Nefarious snort and then begin to laugh his butt off. The robot even started to beat against his knee. Lawrence was no better, even though he was only chuckling Ratchet couldn't help but think that was something the butler usually didn't do.

In a last ditch effort to save some pride, the lombax looked back at his friend who froze as soon as he heard the opera like singing. At least Clank wasn't laughing, he was keeping it in.

 **"What did you do?"** Ratchet asked, or rather, sang. The stupid modified groovitron loomed above him in mocking silence. The evil duo was no longer within sight. They both disappeared, though Ratchet could still hear Nefarious's laughter echoing through the area.

His lips turned into a snare and a growl ripped past his throat, but not in the traditional sense.

 **"GROWLE!"**

* * *

Enemy:

Dr. Nefarious glared at the empty space between the escape vessels. The same empty space that once held an escape vessel, one that was recently stolen by a defect.

With the blarg, the doctor got to do anything he wanted as long as it was for the blarg. This meant that he could change coding for any war bot, any computer actually, as he saw fit.

So, it wasn't a surprise when he found himself a few days prior adding a bug in the warbot's self maintenance coding- power was changed to flower, the hilarity of it all- to have a bit of fun. After all, he didn't care about the blarg's plan to rebuild their home. As long as he got what he wanted, he could care even less if the succeeded.

Anyhow, while messing things up for days of enjoyment, he saw the oddest thing. A bright flash of blue light. Nothing was there when he went to investigate the apparition and though try as he might he couldn't find where it came from.

His attention was diverted, however, by the problem that he created. He completely forgot the incident as the warbots started to shove potted plants in there battery repositories.

An error on his part, he knew. If he had looked further for the source of the light, he could have prevented the creations of the defect who single handedly escaped an impenetrable and inescapable warbot factory.

A small smile married his features.

He created something that was smart, cunning, and knew all of Dreck's plans. He made something that could rival his own intelligence and pose a threat to his own plans.

Dr. Nefarious inadvertently made his own worst enemy.

He knew that he should probably be more worried or, at least, cautious. He knew that he would have to treat carefully in order to reach his goal but, he couldn't stop the smudge of giddiness from growing in his chest the more he thought about it.

This was going to be interesting, if not fun.

* * *

Butt:

Grim stared at the H.V. screen before him with a flabbergasted look. His eyes grew wider by the second.

Ratchet was in Aleero City in the palm of the one and only Quark. He pumped his fist into the air as he gave a cheer. He was not in his room, getting up for a day of proton scrubbing.

He understood that Ratchet was only chasing his dreams and that he would be saving lives but…

When that stupid kid gets home, he'll be in for a butt kicking!

* * *

Hero:

A young boy glared at the H section of his dictionary with disdain. His only real thought was that school sucked.

Then, he saw the definition for hero.

' _Hero: a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.'_

He wanted to be admired!

Thus, Captain Qwark was born!

* * *

Hello

Another early set of oneshots. Work has been rather slow lately so I've had more time to myself. Yay!

Plus, The Musical is technically an alternative to sing. It's in a separate chapter though so I used a different name.

Hope you all enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

Travel:

Talwyn Apogee: a sensible woman, a funny person, and an incredibly frustrated girl.

Ever since she was ten, Talwyn was stuck at the Apogee Space station with her two old protectors. Both of which needed just as much watching. It was a somewhat boring life that was spent learning new ways to entertain herself. From books, to combat, to language studies (Lombax in particular).

Then, only one week ago, a Lombax literally broke in on the scene and through her bedroom wall.

When she saw this, she was ecstatic. She didn't have to study the habits of pirates any longer, she could go out and deal with them.

Of course, with this newly found excuse to go out and do stuff except for waiting for her father to return home - something that he promised he would do - Talwyn knew that she had to bring her impromptu guardian. What she didn't know was what a hassle it would be to travel with two ancient Warbots in ber fathers dinky backup ship while trying to follow a Lombax and his robot friend. Lets not forget that the two are seasoned travelers that were after a large group of pirates!

It saddened her that she couldn't marvel at the universe around her like she wanted. Instead, she was forced to focus on the task at hand. After all, if Ratchet was right, the very thing her father had searched for was within grasping distance.

Talwyn squared her shoulders and held her head up high. She was not doing this just for the great find or for the adventure. She was doing this for the future of the universe. She was…

"Miss Talwyn, I could drive if you want me to."

Talwyn looked back at Zephyr with wide eyes. Excitement flowed throughout her. She didn't answer but stopped at a pit stop and switched spots with him. Cronk didn't wake up once, his head laying against the old leather seat with his mouth wide open while snoring up a storm.

The moment the ship left the pit stop, Talwyn looked out of the window with awe. All of the stars glittered just the same but were somehow different. They looked different.

"Looked pretty, doesn't it, Miss Talwyn."

Talwyn smiled and leaned closer to the window. "Yeah, they are."

* * *

Kitten:

It was early mourning and the sky was just starting to gain color. The birds started to chirp happily and the planets citizens began to spill out of their homes. One citizen in particular was just starting to stir.

What appeared to be a full grown cat curled into a ball groaned and pulled the covers over his head. Too dang bright.

Clattering from down below found its way to the cats room. It wiggled slightly into another more comfortable position. When it happened again, the cat cursed and sprung up.

Instead, it wasn't a full grown cat but a young, teenage, Lombax.

"Im coming!" He cried out.

I'm a huff of anger, he jumped down from his room and landed perfectly on his feet. When he straightened, he found his next customer.

She was an old lady. Probably way older than Grim himself. The young Lombax cleared his throat and waved his hands close to her face. She finally gave him her attention and spread her lips into a wide, wrinkled, smile.

"Why, hello little kitten." She said this as she reached her hand out and shakingly patted his head. "Do you think that you could find your daddy for me?"

The teen forcefully stopped himself from growling at the ol'timer.

"Ma'am, I am not a kitten. I am a lombax. My name is Ratchet."

She simply patted his head and gave him a tiny kitten treat from her purse. "Such a nice kitten."

Ratchet took the treat and left her at the front with a sigh.

* * *

Chess:

Clank watched the board with the utmost interest. His optics surveyed it as skillfully as they would any situation. With a small chuckle, he moved his king.

"Check and mate!"

Seconds later, the whole table was upended. Chess pieces flew in every direction and even Clank fell back from his chair.

He pushed himself up and dusted himself off. With a glare, he gave his opponent an accusatory finder. "That was not very nice."

"Who cares!"

His opponent was huffing and puffing with his red eyes trained on the spot where the table use to be. Or, at least, what was huffing and puffing for a robot.

Clank watched and waited. Once he saw that his opponent was calm, he spoke.

"So, Doctor, will we meet again on the day at the same time?"

Dr. Nefarious let out a grumbled 'yes' and left the chess hall, effectively ending there truce.

* * *

Chess; alternative:

Ratchet watched with amazement. Never in his life had he seen Clank so panicked. But there he was, green optics dim and digits quivering.

"I don't understand, how?"

Quark made the killing move, knocking Clanks Queen over with triumph. He then leaned his chair back and gave the duo a wink.

"I am just that good!"

* * *

Try:

"Just stay right there, we'll get you some help."

The scientist watched as the lombax and his robotic companion leave the room where he was currently stuck in, hanging upside down by a foot from the ceiling. He crossed his arms and scoffed his reply.

This was the last time he was going to try and build anti-gravity boots!

* * *

Hello!

Yet another set of mini shots.

Also, Im under the assumption that Quark is securely a strategic mastermind!

Bye!


	7. Chapter 7

Hit:

"Hit me!"

Talwyn raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Of all the things that she expected her friend so say to her, this was not one of them.

"What?"

"Yeah," Ratchet said. As if to prove that he wasn't joking, he jutted out his cheek in invitation and tapped it with a finger on it. "Hit me right here."

Talwyn looked at her hand and formed it into a fist. The glove that was stretched over it was a new model that 'Gave a Shock to Every Punch!' It was a surprising gift from Ratchet who bought it not long after he and got Clank back from the Solana Galaxy. The events afterwards were enough to make her forget about them until today.

"Why?" She asked cautiously. She eyed Ratchet as though he had officially lost his marbles.

"Just 'cause. Common, just a tap."

Despite feeling like he was delusional, Talwyn shrugged and pulled back her fist.

"Are you sure?" She asked, hesitating.

"Yeah, gotta test that baby out, don't we?"

With those famous last words, she let her fist fly.

Three hours later, Clank stepped into his shared home to see Talwyn pacing back and forth. Just beyond her was a passed out Ratchet with a seemingly permanent indent in his cheek.

Clank stared at the scene before him with his mouth hung open. When he tried to ask what was going on, all the sound he could make was, "ahhh?"

Talwyn turned around with a crazed look to her. "He told me to hit him, but I shocked him!"

* * *

13:

Ratchet sat back on his cushy couch with a sigh. Clank hopped beside him with his… look.

"Will you now admit that Friday the thirteenth is a real thing?"

Ratchet just rolled his eyes and gave his friend a half hearted chuckle. After all that happened today - three flower pots fell on his head, four cats lashed out at him, two old ladies pelted his back with there walking sticks, and a one blowtorch practically exploded in his face, singeing his shoulder! - he should believe but just call him hard headed.

So, all he answered with was a murmur of, "all just superstition."

Clank shook his head in disbelief but chose to not voice his concerns. It was going to continue to be a long day.

Just outside of the duo's home, a small group of zoni giggled and plotted yet another little trick on their favorite lombax.

* * *

Numbers:

"These numbers are not right, Doctor."

Ratchet quickly whipped backwards to face Nefarious head on. Once he did, he saw that the Doc had on an outfit much like Quark did when he dressed as that nurse. Lawrence stood beside him with a small clipboard in his hand and a long blond wig on his head.

"It isn't? Why not?!"

"Because," Lawrence started as he flipped the blonde curls back. "The man is D. E. D., dead."

Nefarious laughed. "He is? Good! Now my minions can ANNIHILATE HIM!"

Ratched started to then run as huge ones, twos, and threes began to chance him with Negotiators in their hands. When he found himself cornered, he looked back at the ten shaped Negotiator amo came for his face.

Seconds before it made contact, Ratchet sat up fast, sending his blanket flying. He clenched his chest and took deep breaths to try and calm himself. Once he was able to make his heart slow down, he realised that he left the H.V. on.

A show about how to make ceramic numbers was playing.

* * *

Juggle:

Dr. Nefarious glanced left and then right. His non existent eyebrows frowned in concentration. Once he was sure nothing would pop up on him, he smiled and began sifting through his desk.

Once found, the doctor stood from his seat and started to slowly juggle four small, orange balls.

Oh, the fun! He forgot why he even learned such a mundane parler trick but now he remembered that it took his mind off of his troubles, even for a moment.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

Nefarious yelped loudly and fell forward. In the process, all four balls fell on his head with soft plunks.

Only for a moment it seemed.

* * *

Hello!

So, yet another set of mini shots. Hope you all enjoy!

Bye!


	8. Chapter 8

School:

Ratchet looked over the books before him with a critical eye. A pencil hung from his lips and his fingers tapped against the desk's top.

He started flipping the pages over and over again when he felt a presence behind him. He tried to ignore it but soon, the presence, female, cleared their throat.

"What are you doing, Ratchet?" Elaris asked as she stared at the paper filled with numbers. She eventually shifted closer to see them even better only to see all of the mistakes in the math.

"Helping Grim with his accounts. He's got sick and asked me to do these for him."

"Really," she prompted as she slid a paper closer to look at. "I thought he'd ask Clank for help like this."

"That's why I'm here. Clanks been working all day though, so he can't help me right now."

Elaris nodded absently and then asked, "why actual paper?"

Ratchet chuckled. "I don't know, cause he's old?"

Choosing to omit the fact that Grim was probable the same age as the Captain, Elaris instead chose to go for a different route. "You know, I could help if you still want it. I'm not all that busy right now."

Ratchet looked like he was about to cry at the offer so Elaris quickly sat down and began to point out his mane problems. When the two got through the bulk of the paperwork, another question struck her.

"Ratchet, you're fifteen, right?"

"Sixteen, why?"

"Why aren't you in school?"

"I graduated by taking one of those GED tests when I was thirteen. The school let me so I could study under Grim as an apprentice mechanic indefinitely."

"The school let you do that?"

Ratchet nodded as if it were the most normal thing ever. "Yeah, I mean, it's a big thing there since there aren't many professional ship engineers in the Kyzil plateau. That and I was going to be suspended anyways." Before Elaris could ask, Rachet continued with, "Willful destruction of the space time continuum. Don't ask how I did it. I don't know."

Elaris chuckled. That was one of the big things that worried her before she got to know the Lombax. The whole thing was confusing at best and she wanted to really look into it. Instead, she listened to his wishes and chose another topic.

"How old were you when you started to train in quantum physics?"

* * *

Scope:

"Do you not see the scope of the situation?"

Ratchet sighed and glanced back at his friend who was comfortably attached to his harness. The little robot was upset to say the least.

"Clank."

He was ignored as Clank went on. "It is preposterous, Ratchet! This is not suppose to happen."

It was odd to hear him complain like this. Clan was many things, a complainer was not one of them. Ratchet continued to walk in the direction of the robot repair shop that they went to when they were in a pinch.

"Clank…"

"If you had aimed centimeters to the left, this would not have happened."

Yet another sigh escaped him. Clank was right, after all. This wouldn't have happened if he just chose not to throw it at all. Heck, when it happened, he freaked out with apology after apology.

Ratchet tried to gain his friends attention but was unable to.

"We are lucky that there is no mission today or this would be an even bigger problem!"

"CLANK!"

Clank looked at him with an angry look. One eye was perfectly fine while the other was cracked and half closed with external damage. It wasn't hard to see why his friend was so upset.

"We're here."

* * *

Chest:

Ratchet stepped into a room that looked much like a limestone tome. He squared his shoulders and strained his back before going further.

In the center of the room was a small chest that resembled the walls around it. It looked heavy though, despite its size. Even the lid looked like it weighed a tun.

He took short steppes into the room until he was in front of the chest and with trepidation, opened it.

Inside was a longsword. The hilt was a purple, blue color and was shaped much like a pair of wings.

For reasons unknown to even himself, Ratchet plucked the sword from the chest and held it high above his head. He could of sworn that it even floated over his outstretched fingers.

He took the sword into his grasp again and admired the fine craftsmanship. As he flipped it to its other side for a better look at it, he heard Talwyn's disembodied voice.

"What are you doing, Ratchet?"

Ratchet used his free hand to take his headset off and shook feeling into his ears. When he located Talwyn, he gave he a winning smile and held up a gaming controller.

"I'm trying out that new virtual reality game that came out two months ago. Its pretty cool."

* * *

Steep:

The man looked down the hill with a gulp. His eyes went wide as he could barely see the bottom of the steep incline. He jumped and yelped when he felt a glove clad hand clap his back.

"Exiting, right."

Looking to his right, the man found his new lombax friend with a smile on his face and a look in his eyes that he didn't really care for. Sure, he loved to tackle the next extreme activity, but jumping off of something that resembled a ledge with only a hoverboard…

"Er, yeah."

This response seemed to only further the excitement of the lombax as he gleaned down the steep incline. The man gulped.

"Uh… hey, how about we do something else dude? Something that wont, you know, kill us."

His friend only chuckled. "We are not going to die from this. The Rangers are at the bottom waiting for us. Completely safe."

The man gulped again. "I dont know your thing for safe, Ratchet, but this didn't look it."

Ratchet rolled his eyes in good humor. "Okay Skid, I'll level with ya'. I'll go first and when I'm down _safely_ , I'll give you a call, alright?"

Skid nodded but couldn't say a word with the sudden lump lodged in his throat. He silently watched Ratchet grab his board and shoot down out of sight.

Five minutes later, the call was sent. It was not gotten however. Skid the pro hover border had ran away.

* * *

Hello!

I am a happy person this week just cause. I would like to extend some of my joy to you all. I hope you all have a nice day!

Bye!


	9. Chapter 9

Hi you wonderful people! If you noticed the change in cover, and read the description, you'll know that the cover is different! (Repetition abundant!) The picture is from one of my earlier miny shot's, Numbers, on chapter 7. The supertabules person who drew this is KayaThatOnePapaya. I put up link for her (so you can see her beautiful creations) on my profile home page. If you aren't able to use it, just look her up on DeviantArt.

I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Legend:

"There once was a legend, a Lombax who defended against the most notorious of villains. He fought in wars. He lost and found loved ones.

"This legend walked amongst colleges and gods alike!"

The man paused for a dramatic effect. His gaze shifted over each of the wide eyed children who anticipating waited for more.

"He started off as a simple boy with no ambitions except get off his red dusted planet. Then he met a bumbling robot who was all book smarts. Though small, they both knew what needed to be done; find the most handsomely amazing, wonderful, bodily all inspiring man who sets before you to…"

"Qwark! What the heck are you doing? I asked you to fill up the ammo canisters three hours ago!"

The man, or rather, Qwark, squealed loudly as he turned around fast enough to give himself whiplash. Behind him was a very angry woman, evident by her tapping foot. He shot up to standing position. He towered over her but practically coward beneath her.

"Yes ma'am, Captain Elaris, sir! On the job!" He quickly bounded back into the huge building, leaving Elaris with a handful of dumbstruck children.

"Hi! I'm sorry for cutting the story short. We all have work to do though."

The teacher giggled at the frazzled woman and began to huddle the children back towards there bus. She waited until each one was aboard before turning back to Elaris.

"Good for you dear, knowing how to handle that man." With the last word and a wink, the woman followed her students and they were off; Elaris walked back inside with her cheeks burning.

* * *

Legend alternative:

Kaden looked at the tiny bundle in his arm. The fur of his tiny bundle was in white and yellow clumps of disarray while its eyes were clamped shut by its natural glue.

He felt light and heavy at the same time.

Feeling the chair beside him shift, he spoke.

"Do you remember, Al, when we were little; people would always call us born legends?"

Alister only nodded in his affirmation.

"What does that make my son?"

"That makes him your legacy."

Kaden chuckled bitterly. He wiped at the matted fur under his eyes and then took a deep breath.

"That scares me, a lot. I've done so much, some of which I'm not proud of. Now my son is my legacy."

"I don't see why you're scared?"

"They won't remember me. They'll remember my son and what he does next. They won't remember him for his own greatness but for the greatness that he has to live up to. Im scared that I'm putting a weight on his shoulders because of how others look at me"

Aliser didn't know what to say. So, instead, he placed a comforting hand on Kaden's shoulder in hope to ease his.

* * *

Calm:

Clank sat silent at the precipice of his mind. His eyes were closed and his hands in his lap. He feigned deep breaths.

"Well, well, well, what do we got here?"

Clank's optics opened wide with surprise. He was expecting the plumber, the one man that was able to be in his head besides his father, but saw Ratchet instead.

"Ratchet? What are you doing here?"

His lombax friend was looking around the area with confusion swimming in his gaze. Once it stopped back on Clank, he smiled widely.

"I am, but I'm not. Plus, I'm always here."

Clank shook his head side to side. Ratchet's confusion became his own.

"I do not understand, Ratchet. What is it that you mean?"

Ratchet plopped down beside Clank and leaned close. He gave his friend a large grin and wiggled his brows. "Do you know that saying, rubbing off on you?"

"Yes?"

Ratchet's grin grew. "Well, this is kinda like that. The Ratchet you know rubbed off on you in a sense. He did so so much that here I am. A conscience, if you will."

Clank nodded his head while rubbing at his chin. "I believe that I understand. Is that why you are here?"

"Yeah! That is exactly why."

"Then, what is it that I need to do? I cannot understand this situation and Ratchet is unable to help."

The mind Ratchet placed his hand on his chin in imitation of Clank. He sat like that for a few moments before snapping his finger.

"I know, stay calm and look at your surroundings. Make anything and everything work for you. You've seen Ratchet do it so many times in a matter of seconds. Just do what he does."

Clank got to his feet with determination. His luminescent green eyes sent his mind Ratchet a glance. "Thank you, Ratchet."

Ratchet got up too and help out his hand. "No problem pal. Just, save me before I get my a…"

"CLANK, you still there?"

Clanked blinked. He looked around the small, dinky broom closet until he spotted a screwdriver tucked in the corner of a box.

"I am still here, Ratchet. I will be a moment."

Ratchet groaned as water drenched his feet. The cage he was currently trapped in gave him no real wiggle room. "Sure thing, pal. I trust ya', just try to go fast."

A clunk of metal on metal came from above him. Ratchet looked up to Clank waving his screwdriver in order to gain his attention.

"I have a plan."

* * *

Curse:

A loud thud came from the equipment room followed by a string of colorful curses. Cora nearly dropped her blaster at the loud profanity. The cursing soon turned into loud growling and hissing.

Cora cocked her blaster and slowly made her way to the tiny room. Her mind buzzed with different scenarios from an attack on base to a semple stubbed toe.

When she finally got to the equipment room, she nearly dropped her blaster again.

Brax was laughing, barely holding himself up. Ratchet was holding his tail gingerly. The offending appendage had an odd angle to it.

"Ok," Cora muttered. "What happened?"

Brax only laughed harder while Ratchet let out yet another long string of powerful, angry, words.

* * *

Cold:

It was yet another snowy planet and Ratchet was fed up. He was tired of freezing his butt off. Before Aphelion could open her hatch, Ratchet grabbed the 'oh crap' handle and pulled it back down.

"No, no way am I going out in the snow! It's too dang cold!"

"Ratchet…"

"No, Clank. No more cold. We're going to Pokitaru!"

"But, Ratchet. We are needed immediately. Qwark called us."

Ratchet sighed. "He called us to fix something in his house. I'm all for helping others, but this?"

Clank sighed. "Would you like for me to call Talwyn to see if she would like to join us?"

* * *

Hello.

I am so sorry! This is late, latter than usual. My only excuse is that I was really busy and wasn't able to wright as much as I wished. I hope that you all like these.

Bye.


	10. Chapter 10

Throne:

The man sat upon his throne as he watched his subjects get his meal ready for consumption. A smile lifted his cheeks. His pearly whites shined brightly in his palace.

"Prisoner 001, your meal is here. Stand away from the bars and hold out your hands."

"Hello boys, what's for eats?"

His guards laid out his lavish meal before him. He looked at each delectable choice while spreading his saliva over his starved lips, drool dribbling down his chin.

"Beautiful men, so very beautiful. You can go now."

The guards left him to his tray full of gray slop with pink chunks. He took a fork and spoon and dug in.

"This is the life!"

After all, life is what you make of it.

* * *

Why:

"Why?"

Grim groaned in anger at the tiny child of fur at his feet. He glared at the boy who couldn't be any older than three and pointed outward to the chair that was a little too large for anything his size.

"Git back over there, Ratchet; I don't want you underfoot!"

The fuzzy lombax kit tilted his head to the side and blinked with his wide, green eyes. "Why?"

Grim growled this time.

The boy had been at Grim's feet for about a week after appearing in Grim's office one day. He hardly made a noise and watched everything Grim did with an intelligence that one usually didn't see in one so young.

Grim looked everywhere for the child's place on the red rock known as Veldin but couldn't find it. There was no other lombax family looking for a kit, no orphanage looking for a runaway, and no foster parent looking for their foster child.

"Because I said so. No go and sit!"

"But why?"

It didn't help that the kid wouldn't answer to anything other than Ratchet, something that he stumbled upon by accident.

"Ratchet, you could get your tail singed or your ears shut up in something. Do you want that to happen?"

The boy shook his head side to side, his large ears slapping the sides of his face.

"Then go and sit while I work, alright."

"But…"

"No buts, just go!"

The kit looked up at Grim with tear struck eyes. When Grim didn't back down, Ratchet looked down to his feet and slowly made his way to his seat. Grim shook his head at the boy and sighed while turning back to his work.

Another problem was that he didn't really know how to care for a lombax kit. Kits were usually high maintenance because they got into everything and anything that had moving cogs and wheels. Take your eyes off of the for a second and there goes a rocket.

Grim sent back glances Ratchet's way a few times and each time, he watched as the child rubbed away his tears and listened to his loud sniffles. When he couldn't take it any longer, he called out to the kit.

"Ratchet, get over here."

The tiny kit jumped up fast and ran over to Grim's side. He bumped into the large man's side but caught himself before he fell.

Grim rested his hand on the propeller of the old bot that he was working on. "What is this called?"

Ratchet stared at it for a short time and then answered with a large smile. His voice nothing but a squeak.

"It is called a propeller."

Grim nodded at the answer. "Where is it usually put?"

"In the head or the back."

"Why?"

"It helps you go better with better balance."

"Good job. Can you tell me what else you can use them for."

Grim looked for another month and still couldn't find a place where Ratchet belonged. He eventually gave up and sent notice to a school close by, telling them that his apprentice would be attending.

* * *

Fluff:

It clogged the shower drainer.

It stuffed each sink.

It clung to the couch.

It had all one link.

In the summer it became plentiful.

In the winter, not so much.

So, what am I?

What else but fluff from Ratchet's butt.

* * *

Dog:

Ratchet watched the creature with wary eyes as Clank talked to their next customer. If slobber dribbled liberly down its jaw and licked its wet nose at least once every minute.

"Ratchet, are you listening?"

The lombax quickly sent Clank a reassuring smile and nodded. "Oh, yeah, sure thing pal."

Ignoring his friends glare, Ratchet looked back at the animal that was now tugging on it's leash in an attempt to get closer to him. His owner didn't pay no mind to the creature. He only tightened his hold slightly.

When Ratchet couldn't hold back any longer, he asked the question that had been nagging him ever since he saw the great lump of extra skin and brown fur.

"Sir, what is that exactly?"

The old Vullard looked at the lombax with confusion. He slowly glanced at his animal then back at Ratchet. Raising his hand, he shankingly pointed at the beast. Ratchet nodded.

"Oh, this old fella? Darren is my dog. Ancient species that can only be found on a few planets today. Got him when he was a pup. Almost eleven years old now. Harmless too."

Ratchet didn't quite believe the Vullard but chose not to question him further. Instead, he turned back to the 'dog'.

The dog started to lift its lips and a growling came from its throat. The fur on Ratchets back stood on end and he took an unconscious step back.

The Vullard reprimanded his Darren and said his goodbyes. As the two walked away, the dog began to bark loudly.

"Ratchet, are you alright?"

"Yeah. I just realized something is all."

"What is that?"

"I don't like dogs."

* * *

Hello!

So, this is my setup for this month. I know that I already posted a chapter this month but it was meant for last month's so… excuses.

I hope you all like this set and that you all have a good day!

Bye!


	11. Chapter 11

Fun Time With Dr. Nefarious:

Ratchet had planned for a quiet morning that would be followed by a quiet day. He sighed in content at his wonderful plan and settled deeper into his recliner.

Suddenly, something smashed through his window. Ratchet grit his teeth once he saw what it was.

The opera-tron!

A deep growl came forth and was transformed into beautiful singing. He started to curse, each nasty word flowing in magnificent notes of vulgarity.

 _ **"Clank, get that blaster!"**_

* * *

Friend:

"That's mine!"

The tiny kit looked up from the sand he currently had piled up in his lap to another kit. The other had his fluffy hands bunched up and his chin was jutted out in anger. His green eyes were swimming.

"I don't care. My dad says that I had to dibide and conquer. I concurred your toys!"

"What are you, two? It's divide! Plus, my mom got them for me so you can't have them."

The kit picked a shovel from the bottom of the sand up and filled it. "Then I call war!" Then, he flung the sand at his adversary's head.

The sand hit him with a staggering force. His green eyes filled with the tiny crystals and tears. He slapped at the albino kit and kicked sand at him before running for his mom, crying for help.

The conqueror huffed in triumph of his victory. He continued to play when three old kids loomed over him.

"Hey, albino, those are cool toys."

The child looked up from his play and glared at the group. They all towered over him considerably. He showed no fear though. He was just like his dad and, therefore, fearless.

"Yeah, they are."

The oldest boy sat down beside him and took the toy closest to him, an action figure, and tossed it to one of his friends. As he did this, he gave the kit a scathing stare.

"Then you won't mind sharing, hu?"

The kit tried to recover the toy but was pushed down. When he made to get up, one of the oldest boy's lackeys took hold of his ears and yanked. No matter how much the kit tried, he was unable to stand with his ears being abused.

And then…

And then…

"Aaaahhhhh!"

In a flash of orange and brown, the owner of the toys hopped in the fray. He grabbed at the oldest's tail and bit it hard. The lackey that had the other kit's ears let him go to try to pull the owner off the leaders tail. The other lackey jumped to help as well when it looked like the owner wouldn't let go.

The kit watched in amazement before joining in. Two against three. Two tiny five year old lombax kits against three eight year old lombax kits.

The two didn't win.

Five minutes later the two sat side by side, not a toy between them, with bruises hidden under fur. They both stared at the sand this unspoken sadness at losing such prised positions. The silence was broken when the green eyes owner held up his hand to the albino.

"My names Kaden. What's yours?"

The albino looked at the offered hand in confusion. "Why do you care? I stole your toys first. Then, big kids took them."

"Cause, we both lost them. That makes us allies now."

"Oh… Ok, my name is Alister! Wanna play tag?"

"Yeah! Your it!"

* * *

Little:

"Why are you so little?"

"Excuse me?"

Clank blinked at his companion with thought. His eyes scanned over the lombax' height and rechecked his data.

"Compared to my research, you should be approximately 175.26 cm tall for your age."

"Uh, what?"

"Oh, excuse me five foot nine inches tall. You are, however, only 152 cm or five feet tall."

"And? You should be talking, your only like four feet!"

Clank's blank stare turned into a glare. "Point taken."

* * *

Big:

"You're a bit shorter that what I'd imagine Kaden's son to be. It can't be helped, I guess. Your mother was the same."

Ratchet glared at Alister's back as the elder lombax went to look for something. He then crossed his arms in agitation and began to mumble to himself.

"Well, your a bit big."

* * *

Sometimes:

Sometimes, Ratchet didn't want to get up in the morning. He did though, because he knew that if he lazed about in bed all day, he would get nothing done.

Sometimes, Ratchet didn't want to meet his customers of the day. He did though, or else he would not get paid.

Sometimes, Ratchet didn't want to deal with Qwark in the day. He did though, otherwise he would be lectured at.

Sometimes, Ratchet wandered how he got all of his work done in the day. He did because of the help from Grim and Clank.

"Sometimes, Ratchet wondered why he had the amazing friends that he had. He did because he forged unbreakable bonds on his journeys.

"Sometimes, Ratchet wondered why he had a relatively good life. He did. He just did.

* * *

Hello!

Chapter 11! I'm excited!

So, I want to do a little thanking of people. You all deserve thanks for reading, for reviewing, for favoriting, and for following my mini shots. It makes each day a great day to see that even one person took their time to do any of these things.

THANK YOU ALL!

Now, that said, I really hope that you like this next batch. Plus, should I do more Fun Time With Dr. Nefarious?

Bye!


	12. Chapter 12

Chef:

Clank watched the H.V. with rapt attention. On the stove before him was a pot of near boiling water and in his hand, a salt shaker.

"Now," the robot on the H.V. screen said, "as soon as the water is boiling, we add the noodles and vegetables."

Clank gave the water a small glance to see the bubbles popping hyperly. He concluded that the water was ready and put the noodles and veggies in it. He smiled at his progress and chose to add another smidgen of salt. After all, Robo Chef always said to be a bit spontaneous.

"Ok chefs! Now that we have our main course started, we go on to the side dishes and meat that will be added later."

With a slight nod, he took into his hand a meat cleaver the size of himself. He then watched the robot on the H.V. take out a considerably smaller one. He set down his own and found one a more appropriate size. He cut up the meat in thin slices and stuffed them in the oven.

"Our side dish is a small red pepper cup with chopped..."

As she listed off ingredients, Clank gathered them. He tried to cut them like the on screen chef but found it rather difficult. She was cutting them in perfect precision whereas his own was rather… oddly shaped.

"I should add some salt." Clank mumbled to himself. He took the salt shaker and shook it over the red pepper. Only, the top came off.

As fast as he could, Clank dusted the salt off of the pepper and tried to push it back into the shaker.

The kitchen door opened with a slam. A deep inhale followed and Ratchet appeared beside Clank, his nose wiggling. "Your cooking? This smells nice; what are you making?"

Clank filled up the red pepper cup with his chopped goods while he answered.

"I am cooking vegetable noodles with sliced beef and stuffed red pepper cup."

Ratchet, upon hearing about the sliced beef, looking into the oven. He licked his lips hungrily.

"Sounds great, pal. Need help?"

"No thank you, Ratchet. I am happy to do this on my own."

"Alright. Just call me when it's done. I'll set the table and get you those oil slickers that you like."

"Thank you, Ratchet."

When the door opened and shut again, Clank checked on the boiling noodles and veggies. He looked to the H.V. and saw that the robot woman had thrown the noodle at the wall where it stuck. Though he found it odd, Clank followed her example and did the same. When he got the same result, he turned to the veggies.

"Now, usually, these vegetables are rather firm and hard. When boiled, they should turn soft and easy to bind as these are doing."

Clank took out a vegetable and bended it. He found that his own was a bit too soft and easily squashed into paste. He shrugged it off, pulling the pan off the stove and draining the water from it. Then, just to be safe, he added more salt.

"Now, we add out sauce. Either you have homemade or store bought." Clank brandished his sauce with pride. "You poor the sauce in a little at a time while you put the beef in. This way you have a nice consistency in both."

He had forgotten!

Clank ran to the oven to find his beef slightly charred. He sighed but relented. It was fine, still good on the inside.

He placed the meat beside the sauce and began to add a little bit of both at bit at a time. When he was finished he took it and the cup over to the dining table. He set everything down and went back for a carbonated drink that Ratchet liked.

"I'm back, Clank."

Ratchet walked into the kitchen with a small plastic bag. He placed the bag down on the counter for Clank and then went about setting up the table. The clank took the oil slicker out and opened them up onto a plate for himself.

The two settled down together and Ratchet immediately started to fill his plate. He then took his fork and dove in.

When he shoveled a few forks full in his mouth, the taste hit him. Too salty, burned, and mushy was not the best combination. He coughed on it, forcing the food down. Then he took a gulp of his soda for the lingering taste.

"How do you like it, Ratchet?"

Ratchet stared at the food for a moment. He then forced a smile and took another bite while trying to ignore the salt burning through his tongue.

"Its grate, just needs a bit less salt."

Clank nodded. "I will remember that for next time. I hope to cook for you at least once a week."

The smile fell away and dread became a rock in the pit of his stomach.

"Sure pal. But I'm helping."

* * *

Coin:

"Ratchet, what are you doing."

Clank stared at the sky from atop a bush when he asked his question. He tried to peer down at what the lombax was doing but was unable to see past his shoulder.

"Looking for some coin. I dunno why but there's always a bolt or two in the bushes."

Blinking in confusion, Clank only said on word. "Odd."

\- On The Great Clock.

The diminutive warbot shook his head. It was a ridiculous notion that Ratchet thought up surely.

On that thought, Clank looked behind, above and beside him before pushing back the leaves of the small bush. Inside it…

A five credit bolt.

* * *

50 feet:

Ratchet waited silently in Aphelion for the signal that he was going in the wrong direction or when to stop. The only sound around him was the hum of the engine and the beat of his heart.

His nav. unit crackled to life with Sigmunds voice.

"You're there. Sett the marker and the Zoni will put the planet fragment there later."

Nodding, Ratchet made sure his O2 mask was working and got out of the cockpit. He then floated a bit to the right before pulling out the small marker and setting it in its designated place.

He placed his hands on his hips and let out a hearty laugh. He then contacted the others.

"Hey, Pal, guess where I'm at."

"Where Ratchet?"

"I'm at the Exact. Center. Of the UNIVERSE!"

* * *

Right Things:

Kaden sat upon a crate with with a grin on his face. His old friend from school had chose to move from Polaris and back to Solana. There, he built up his own small mechanics shop and made a considerable amount of bolts with his work.

"Living the dream, man, that's what this is!"

"Yeah? Well not to me. Thought I'd be doing much more than this."

Kaden grunted. "Com'on Grim, this shop of yours is the first one built in the Kyzil plateau in years. You're helping people in ways they haven't been helped in a long time. You should be proud of yourself!"

Grim growled as he shoved a screw where it was meant to go. "I just thought that the Lombax Elders would want me to help you and your team. Not sind me and my brother home back home to this speck of a planet."

"You are helping though. What with the hordes of cragmites in Polaris taking over planet after planet, they probably wanted those with our skill to be scattered incase of emergency. You're keeping the name of the Praetorian Guard alive by simply being here. I know this saying, its not the bit things that make a difference, it's the right ones. Or at least I think that's what it is."

Grim rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And what are you doing?"

Kaden's com. went off, beeping madly. He grabbed as he answered. "Practically being a test dummy for something that will probably hurt."

Intending to get his point across, Grim turned to his lombax friend. He stopped short upon seeing Kaden now standing, poised and ready as though he were about to be attacked.

"I've got to go. Alister, he, dang…"

The lombax didn't say another word while he jumped into Aphelion and blasted away.

* * *

Hello!

I don't really have much to say. It have been a great month and will hopefully continue to be a good one. I would also like to tell you all that I hope that you all have a great fall!

Bye!


	13. Chapter 13

Wall:

Something was not right. He stared at the object with curiosity and fingered it just to be sure it was really there. When he felt rough stone, his eyes widened.

"Clank," he yelled out, "why is there a wall here?"

Clank looked up from a schematic for one of Ratchet's rather weirder invitations and felt confused instantly.

"There is nothing there Ratchet."

"Yeah, there is. Come see for yourself."

The diminutive warbot left the schematic and stepped forward. Surprise filled him when he too saw the thick stone.

Before them was a wall. It was tall enough to close the whole entrance of the garage and wide enough to completely cover the entire side. It was also completely invisible. For what they knew, it hadn't been there a hour ago and they didn't here a thing when it so suddenly appeared.

"So?", Ratchet wondered aloud. He scratched at the back of his head as if it would help him in gathering an answer.

"I do not know, Ratchet. I do not know."

* * *

Doctor:

"I'm not even sure he's a real doctor!", Qwark exclaimed, one finger pointing downward in a dramatic way.

Ratchet cradled his head in his hand with a long withered sigh. How stupid can you get?

Clank stopped mid step beside him and raised his hand slightly. "Actually Captain, has two doctorates. One in robotics and the other in physics."

Nefarious huffed in indignation. "I've got three. One in robotics, one in physics, and one in my fist in your face!"

With that said, the doctor pounced with a wild, angry glint in his mechanical eyes.

* * *

Tongue:

"… has finally recovered after being attacked by two rabid fans."

"I know Juanita, such shameful acts!"

Ratchet, Clank, and Big Al all watched as the news reporter viciously bit at something that looked like a remote. The picture on the side of the screen was of the duo with wild expressions while their tongues lulling to the side.

"Hey Clank."

Already knowing what his friend was going to ask, Clank gave him an immediate no.

"Do you have a tongue?"

* * *

Mess:

It was late at night when Clank heard a knocked on his door. He opened one optic and assessed that the knocker was organic and rather large by the heavy thuds. He slowly got up to his feet and stretched leisurely, ignoring the glowingly insistent slams on the door.

He patted to his destination with the same sluggish movements. When he got there, he reached up and answered.

"Hello. Who is, oh. Qwark, what are you doing here?"

The Captain glared down at Clank and pursed his lips to only a line. Clank noted that the top one was busted and a large bruise circled it. Not only that, his right eye was also darkened with one as well as a good handfuls of scratches.

"Are you alright?"

Qwark didn't answer him. He only put down a gym bag that was not seen previously and walked away. Clank watched him for a moment before looking down at the bag. It was the same color as Qwark's suit and mostly zipped up. It was also moving. He cautiously unzipped it.

Out popped a little fuzzy head with pointed ears and forest green eyes. Pinned to an oversized orange shirt was a handwritten note in an ugly skrull.

 _'Clank, if you're reading this then Qwark messed up. Contact Big Al for the Ager Gun.'_

Clank sighed softly and pluck the now toddler Ratchet from the gym bag and brought him inside.

He wandered what the tiny Lombax kit had done their large friend.

* * *

Hello.

I'm sorry that I'm late on this. I hope you all like this batch and I also apologize that they are a bit short this time around.

Bye!


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